I am looking to reload my 44 magnum and have some 300 grain cast bullets from bullet barn. My concern is that if I reload with these bullets I will get lead fouling in my barrel. I have always used plated/jacketed in the past so no experience reloading cast. If I reload the cast with H110.. will they foul my barrel?
44 magnum lead cast bullets = fouling?
- Thread starter cdncowboy
- Start date
90% of fouling is caused by I'll fitting bullets or driving them to fast
Clean your gun well before switching to lead. Try some out. If you get leading get your throat measured and get appropriate sized bulled.
I am assuming they are pre-lubed.
Clean your gun well before switching to lead. Try some out. If you get leading get your throat measured and get appropriate sized bulled.
I am assuming they are pre-lubed.
Make sure you completely remove all traces of metal fouling before you start shooting. Clean it like you have never cleaned it before. Also slug you barrel to determine its size. Shooting .001 over bore diameter is the generic rule of thumb.
The bullet barn appears to size to 430 only. Review your loading data to find a cast load for h110 and then play with the charges/velocity to make sure it goes fast enough to obturate the bullet in the bore but not too fast/hot that you have gas cutting.
If you cast your own you have more control over the sizing, the choice of alloy, and the choice of lube.
The bullet barn appears to size to 430 only. Review your loading data to find a cast load for h110 and then play with the charges/velocity to make sure it goes fast enough to obturate the bullet in the bore but not too fast/hot that you have gas cutting.
If you cast your own you have more control over the sizing, the choice of alloy, and the choice of lube.
Not any more for me
ruger redhawk 5.5" bullets sized to .4315 (cylinder throat size)
marlin 1894 bullets sized to .4330
My bullets also wear extra protection and barrel is clean after 2 patches.
12 rounds of w296, 23gr (265gr pc bullet)
ruger redhawk 5.5" bullets sized to .4315 (cylinder throat size)
marlin 1894 bullets sized to .4330
My bullets also wear extra protection and barrel is clean after 2 patches.
12 rounds of w296, 23gr (265gr pc bullet)
A difference of opinion here!
I say 90% of lead build up in the bore is due to a microscopically rough bore.
With the naked eye, you can't tell if your barrel is smooth or rough.
I have shot cast bullets in the five different 44 magnum revolvers I have owned and shot extensively, plus two Marlin rifles in 44 magnum. One Ruger got bad build up of lead while another same model of Ruger Blackhawk would never collect a bit of lead and neither did the Marlin rifles. The other three revolvers, two S&W and another Blackhawk, were some where in between.
One time Ruger had a pamphlet out on this subject and all they talked about was a smooth or rough bore. They gave a few methods of polishing the bore, such as a super fine abrasive, like a household polisher, but stated a few hundred jacketed bullets through the bore usually polished them.
Some lead collecting is not a serious problem. Shooting five jacketed after fifty lead bullets will likely keep it cleaned forever.
I know, the CURRENT popular opinion is the bullet has to be the right size. But those bullets obturate to fit the bore. Also, if size was so important, why wouldn't a major supplier of cast bullets, such as The Bullet Barn, offer two or three sizes of a popular calibre, like 357 or 44? And why wouldn't an extremely popular mold, like the Keith 429421 be made in size variations?
OP, you say you have 300 grain bullets. Not my choice, but just load them up and shoot away.
There are far more important things in this world to worry about, than whether or not there is some lead collecting in your gun bore.
I load my magnums fairly light and have little lead buildup, and nothing that a few minutes of scrubbing won't cure.
As above - if I have the option, a few plated bullets now and then seems to sweep the worst of it out.
I also think that some of these commercial cast bullets use far too hard a lube for handgun velocities. I had some moderate .357 loads that were leading like a beast - I had to take the lewis to the barrel after as few as 25 shots. To burn those off I took a stick of black powder lube to the range and coated the nose and exposed driving band of each bullet. It was messy, but it cut the leading way down.
As above - if I have the option, a few plated bullets now and then seems to sweep the worst of it out.
I also think that some of these commercial cast bullets use far too hard a lube for handgun velocities. I had some moderate .357 loads that were leading like a beast - I had to take the lewis to the barrel after as few as 25 shots. To burn those off I took a stick of black powder lube to the range and coated the nose and exposed driving band of each bullet. It was messy, but it cut the leading way down.
Leading is caused by trying to drive a cast bullet too fast and maybe excessively soft bullets.
There's one cast 300 grain load using H110 on Reloader's Nest(nothing on Hodgdon's site. Might be in a few their manual though.). Guy claims 1431 fps out of a 7.5" barrel with 22.5 grains. Seems out of line with the same guy's XTP load at 1275 fps with 22.0 though. Guy's data was posted in 2004.
There's one cast 300 grain load using H110 on Reloader's Nest(nothing on Hodgdon's site. Might be in a few their manual though.). Guy claims 1431 fps out of a 7.5" barrel with 22.5 grains. Seems out of line with the same guy's XTP load at 1275 fps with 22.0 though. Guy's data was posted in 2004.
It's all about correct bullet size, and bullet obturation.
When the bullet is not big enough what happens is gasses blow by the sides and melts the lead, leaving lead fouling in the barrel.
Ok so, my .45Colt is slugged at .452 so when I shoot lead cast I buy bullets .453/.454 in order to make a good seal.
Also, with a reduced recoil load I have to use a softer lead, as the initial smack of the powder doesn't obturate the bullet enough to have it expand the base to seal the gasses.
When I load for max charge I use a harder lead bullet, as I run around 1800fps using 250g out of a 20" barrel. A soft cast lead bullet I think would strip in the rifling because of the fps.
Tailor the bullet for intended purpose.
Hard cast for high fps with max charges
Soft cast for reduced recoil / low fps
When the bullet is not big enough what happens is gasses blow by the sides and melts the lead, leaving lead fouling in the barrel.
Ok so, my .45Colt is slugged at .452 so when I shoot lead cast I buy bullets .453/.454 in order to make a good seal.
Also, with a reduced recoil load I have to use a softer lead, as the initial smack of the powder doesn't obturate the bullet enough to have it expand the base to seal the gasses.
When I load for max charge I use a harder lead bullet, as I run around 1800fps using 250g out of a 20" barrel. A soft cast lead bullet I think would strip in the rifling because of the fps.
Tailor the bullet for intended purpose.
Hard cast for high fps with max charges
Soft cast for reduced recoil / low fps
True most of the time, but...
I have two identical Ruger Redhawk 44 magnums, serials are 10 numbers apart. One leads up like a sonovab1tch, doesn't matter what I shoot through it, and the other shoots the same loads without any trace of leading.
The difference between the two is that the one that leads has a very rough forcing cone, the other is nice and smooth. At some point, I am going to be sending the one off to have the forcing cut and polished, but in the meantime, it's very accurate with jacketed bullets so I'm not in a rush.
My 429421 mold throws .432" bullets and I sized them to .431". People were enlarging the old Lyman molds for decades. But I agree people get too worked up over a little leading
Bullet Barn casts at 25 BHN, that's to hard for all handgun loads. When pushed their going to streak the barrels rifling. There's only one good reason to cast that hard, and it's not to make bullets hard enough to work at high muzzle velocity.
I shoot Hard Cast 300 gr-ers behind H110 out of my 44 mag SBH at 1100 fps and have very little fouling . RJ
